NFL Draft: Commanders Select Penn State WR Jahan Dotson

After trading back from No. 11, the Washington Commanders have their guy.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 28, 2022

After trading back five picks with the New Orleans Saints, the Washington Commanders selected wide receiver Jahan Dotson from Penn State.

Ron Rivera

The move comes after the Commanders traded down five spots to take Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave.

The selection of Dotson gives the Commanders another weapon for their new quarterback Carson Wentz, who the team traded for this past February. It also gives the team a true running mate with McLaurin, who has been one of the best receivers since entering the league in 2019.

McLaurin is also working on signing a contract extension this offseason. While this decision to draft Dotson doesn't mean the team will or won't sign him, it gives the team flexibility moving in either direction moving forward.

Dotson stands 5-11 and weighs 183 pounds, so he'll be expected to play the slot receiver role alongside McLaurin and Curtis Samuel.

Dotson, 22, spent four years at Penn State and enjoyed his greatest year in his senior season. He caught 91 passes for 1182 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Dotson ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February and is expected to add a lot of juice to Washington's offense.

He had just two drops during his time at Penn State, and should be a reliable option for Wentz in the offense this fall.

Ron Rivera

With this pick, Washington checks off one of its biggest needs in the draft and will now look to add a safety or linebacker either by trading into the final few picks of the first round or when the team is on the clock again at No. 47.

Published Apr 28, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.